This article concerns the tragedy of the misuse of power and the power of imagined inferiority. African Americans must lose misconceptions about the majority, heighten understanding about being Black in America and how that makes their children vulnerable to this nation's worst, stop fighting losing battles like affirmative action, and find and maintain a position of power and strength. Here, the reader should note that the full onus of responsibility is on African Americans, and the authors believe that the place to begin is in the schools that serve the African American community. To a large degree, African Americans have misjudged and over intellectualized racism, to the point of excusing it. Just as there is no excuse for racism, there is no excuse for African Americans becoming emotionally dependent on it. This is not blaming the victim; this is directing the victim on how to fight back. The words of the old Nigerian proverb apply here: you cannot just blame the rat.